The Count's World, Episode 7 Twilight Trouble
by The Great Allie
Summary: The Count's next mission is at Creepy Steeple, where a monster, probably Doopliss, is stopping the refurbishment of Creepy Steeple. And, man, what is that smell?
1. 7 dash 1

_Remember way back in Episode 1-4 when I mentioned I actually had a dream about the series? The end result is this story. It's not entirely the same because parts of it were mixed up with Ocarina of Time, parts of it related to my own life to make sense to bystanders, parts of it I don't remember, parts of it I myself was there, and parts of it depended on Dimentio being the bad guy like he was at the end of Super Paper Mario (I know, I know- don't say anything!) And of course, being a dream, there was no real end._

_Actually, the only thing that really resembles the dream at all is the part where the explo—_

_Oooh, no, thought I was going to give it away, didja? No. I just like toying with you._

_Enjoy._

* * *

EPISODE 7-1

Count Bleck was in the sitting room of the home of the mayor of Twilight Town. They were here to talk business- Mayor Dour might have a job for him and the minions to do, so Count Bleck was looking into it. Dour had sent a message to Count Bleck a few days before, telling him that there were problems in Twilight Trail and Creepy Steeple, and he needed someone to look into it.

"So tell me," said Count Bleck. "What is it you would like us to do?"

"Well," said Mayor Dour, stirring the fireplace logs absentmindedly. They were glowing soft embers, bringing little light into the already dim and somewhat sinister-looking home. The permanent twilight made everything look more sinister.

Count Bleck waited for Mayor Dour to continue, but he didn't.

"Well, what?" he prompted.

"I'm trying to decide where to begin," the mayor explained.

"The beginning would be nice," said Count Bleck.

"Well, a long time ago, Creepy Steeple was haunted by a terrible spirit," explained the mayor. "He played terrible tricks on us all the time, until one day Mario drove him out. He was gone for a long time, and we decided Creepy Steeple was safe again, so we decided to put it back in use. We started by wiring it for heat and electricity, but that's as far as we got. Terrible things have started happening."

"How terrible?"

"At first things just started going missing- the kind of missing where you know you didn't misplace it. Poltergeist stuff, like someone was trying to scare us. Things moving around on their own. But then horrible specters have started appearing- a headless monster, a demon, a clawed dragon… and then some of the residents who were helping work on the steeple disappeared without a trace."

Count Bleck nodded to show he was listening. It sounded like an interesting situation; one he thought would be both challenging and exciting. It sounded like just what he needed.

"So you called on us to find out what's going on at the steeple and drive that monster out once and for all."

"Yes," said Mayor Dour. "Well, actually I called Mario first… but he's busy at the moment."

"Consider us on the case," said Count Bleck, ignoring that last comment. "I have magic, intelligence, muscle… and Mimi."

"Excellent," said Mayor Dour. "Well, then, I'll leave you to it."

* * *

Count Bleck's minions were waiting outside. Tippi was right beside the door with Nastasia, waiting to join Count Bleck as soon as he came out. Mr. L was talking to some of the village residents. Mimi was playing in the grass. O'Chunks was waiting, a little bored. Dimentio had struck up a conversation with the three Shadow Sirens.

"Yes," he said, "your magic is impressive… but it's little more than parlor tricks compared to the full array of enchantment that comes from Dimentio… Charming Magician!"

"Will you stop saying that?" Mimi called from the grass. "You're not very charming… and I haven't seen you use your magic in a while."

Dimentio snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden a frog warped to the top of her head.

Mimi screamed and ran. Dimentio laughed.

"Oh, whatever," said Beldam. "It's not like an insult coming from you is very much. I mean, look at you! What are you, anyway? Some kind of warped court jester? Yeah, that's intimidating. A jester is telling me all I can do is parlor tricks."

Just then, Count Bleck emerged from the house and signaled his minions to meet him.

"It's been lovely chatting with you," said Dimentio, "but my master calls me, and I must go. Ciao for now."

The minions gathered around Count Bleck. Except for Mimi, who was somewhere else still trying to shake the frog. Count Bleck looked around for her, but a quick look at the others told him all he needed to know- don't ask.

"Yeah, so," said Nastasia. "What went on in your little meeting with the mayor?"

"We're going to chase a monster out of Creepy Steeple," said Count Bleck. "They think it's the same Duplighost that used to haunt them, by the name of Doopliss. Maybe- it might be someone new, but chances are it's not."

"Doopliss?" Beldam said. She was close enough that she could hear their conversation, but far enough away for it to count as eavesdropping. "That freak-in-a-sheet? You'll have no problem taking care of that loser. He couldn't even fill Vivian's shoes when she ditched us to join Mario, and those weren't even very big shoes to fill!"

"Sis!" Vivian cried out. "You said you were gonna be nicer!"

"It slipped out," Beldam replied evenly.

Vivian started to pout.

Count Bleck looked over to make sure they were finished interrupting, and then turned back to his own group. "Duplighost's are able to take any form, so we can't let ourselves be fooled by imitations. If we get separated, remember: the code word is 'Etching.' If you have any doubts as to your companion's authenticity, ask them the code word. It's the Doppleganger Test."

"Gotchya," said Mr. L. "Sketching."

"Close enough," said Count Bleck.

"So lemme get this right," said O'Chunks. "We go on down the path to the old steeple an' 'unt down this doppleganger… an' what are we goin' teh do with 'im?"

"Surprise me," Count Bleck said with a sly grin.

"Ah, now yeh'r talken' me language!" O'Chunks returned the grin. "I ehn't got teh use me chunks since Episode Four."

"What?"

"What?"

Mimi staggered back over to the group, rubbing her hair and wringing out her ponytails. "Slimy frog," she grumbled. "What'd I miss?"

"The Doppleganger test," said Mr. L. "I already forgot what the code word was. Sorry. My mind's a million miles away today."

"Perfectly understandable," said Count Bleck. "After all, if you forget it, nothing big will happen. Unless you count being mistaken for an enemy and blasted from here to Yoshi's Island on a case of mistaken identity." He gave Mr. L a significant look. "Do you, Green Thunder?"

"Oh, I remember. It was 'Fetching.'"

"It was 'Etching,' and _please_ pay attention to Count Bleck." Count Bleck snapped his fingers in front of Mr. L's face. "Everybody. We can't afford to mess up again. We're beginning to look foolish."

"Oh, Blumiere," said Tippi with a laugh. "Everybody thinks we're great. Our new reputation is spreading farther than you think. You just don't see it yet." She gave him a little nuzzle. "You will soon enough."

Nastasia cleared her throat.

"Very well," said Count Bleck. "I believe Creepy Steeple is at the end of Twilight Trail. It shouldn't be very far, so everybody stay together and let's go."

They started walking out of the village and towards the trail. The gate guard let them pass because they already had permission from the mayor, so that was one obstacle that didn't arise. The entire group walked in a clump, close to each other but scattered enough so it wasn't a formal group. They looked at ease, which is the way it most certainly should be.

* * *

Creepy Steeple hadn't changed a bit since the day Doopliss had been driven out by Mario, after a brief identity scrabble. The only difference was in the surrounding ground, where small trenches had been dug out for the pipes. They were in various stages of completion- some were half-dug, some were completely dug, some had pipes or wires running through them, and some were even buried again. Inside it was still run-down and slightly broken, but there were no Boos or Swoopers or any other hostiles. There was a new radiator and a work lamp hanging up, neither of them on but probably there to test the hookup.

"Yuck!" Mimi suddenly grabbed her nose. "What's that _smell_?"

Mr. L took a sniff. "Must?"

"No, that's not it…"

"Mothballs?"

"No."

O'Chunks took a deep inhale. "I smell somethin', too, but I can't put me thumb on it."

"Timpani, do you recognize it?"

Tippi used her Pixl powers to see if she could detect what it was. "No," she said. "I can't tell."

"Perhaps it's the monster," suggested Dimentio. "A horrible creature like him would not necessarily have a pleasing odor."

"Perhaps," Count Bleck agreed. "In any case, let's find this monster and _take care_ of it. The sooner we triumph here, the sooner I can get a boost in my confidence… and get away from this _place_."


	2. 7 dash 2

_URGENT UPDATE: A few wires got crossed, it's kind of complicated, but I ended up publishing the second-to-final draft instead of the actual final draft, which left out an extremely critical and interesting detail in the Dimentio-Mimi encounter. Super sorry. Everything else is fine, if you don't feel like reading the whole story again. It was very unprofessional of me and I apologize. Enjoy "Episode 7-2 2.0"_

* * *

EPISODE 7-2

"Well, here we are in Creepy Steeple," said Count Bleck. He sounded a bit like a tour guide or a Jungle Cruise skipper, pleasent and informative. He was trying to keep everyone in good spirits, although after being in Twilight Trail for so long, it was almost impossible to be in good spirits. Spirits were involved, of course, just not the good ones.

"It's so... creepy," said Tippi with a shudder. "Blumiere, I want to leave."

"It's all right, Timpani," said Count Bleck. "I'll protect you. I'll protect us all."

"Ah'll make sure no 'arm comes teh tha group," said O'Chunks agressively, slamming his fists together. "I ehn't get teh pound on haunts much. Tryin' somethin' new, ya know Always good ta broaden yer horizons."

They all looked around. It was tranquil inside, falling apart in some places but held together strongly in others. There wasn't much of a ceiling anymore, the walls just stopped somewhere on the second floor. There wasn't an entire second floor, just a walkway around three sides with, what else, a cathedril-style ceiling. The walkway didn't look safe- there were actually hunks of it missing. There was also a fancy rug going down the middle of the large steeple, moldy and moth-eaten. The only signs of life came from the recent reonvations- there was a work lamp hanging up, wired into the wall, and a radiator. And that weird smell. It was a pretty desolate place, the perfect place to run into a monster or a ghost. They were actually suprised that the only monsters they'd found on the way had been Clefts and Crazyee Dayzees- essentially, flowers and rocks.

Finally, the waiting-for-ghosts-or-monsters-tension was cut. A horrible, throaty voice that surely would appear in a purple word bubble with white text in the game cried out, "All who enter here are put under the Curse of the Trespasser! Run or be destroyed!"

Count Bleck held his cape out to shield Tippi with one arm and held his staff out with his other. O'Chunks put his fists up.

Suddenly, a monster appeared in their midst. It was a dragon, one like Hooktail or Gloomtail. It was dark purple, almost black, with the same huge, round snout and gnashing claws. It was strange- one second they were all standing around, getting their bearings, and all of a sudden this monster simply exploded out from the middle of them. It was as if it burst out of the ground, although there was no hole. It all happened to fast for anybody to really see what was happening, even if they had been looking for it.

They scattered- it wasn't a sign of poor training, it was survival. The problem was, they all went in different directions. Dimentio vanished, probably turning invisible or materializing somewhere outside. Count Bleck grabbed Tippi and ran out the front door. O'Chunks grabbed Nastasia and ran out a side door, but not before laying one good punch on it's leg- the dragon didn't even seem to feel it.

* * *

Out on the side, there was a walkway running the length of the building. It was shaded by another walkway above, and on the side there was so much nautral growth it was basically an outdoor hallway. O'Chunks slammed the door shut behind him when they went out, and then tore a whole wall of growth away to get more distance between him and the monster. He lifted Nastasia over the rail and the thorny bushes and put even more distance between them. When he thought they were far enough, but not too far, he stopped.

"It's part o' bein' a warrior," he was explaining to her. "A good warrior knows when 'e shouldn't be takin' up a fight, and there's no shame in' runnin' some o' the time."

"He who turns and runs away lives to fight another day," Nastasia supplied.

"Yeah, sumthin' like that." O'Chunks scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Didja see the size o' that great boogly brute? I laid 'im a good one an' 'e didn't even feel it. And o'course a gentleman warroir always protects 'is-- uh, that is--"

"Thank you for saving me," Nastasia said politely. "I wouldn't have known what to do."

O'Chunks was about two seconds away from admitting that the only reason he ran was to save _her,_ but he had chickened out at the last minute. Of course he had feelings for her, and anybody who's played after the end of Super Paper Mario would know it. But he didn't know what those feelings were, or what to do with them. After all, he was a fighter, not a romancer. And besides, Nastasia was still pining for the Count. Who makes his move on a girl on the rebound? Scum, that's who, he thought.

"I'm gonna go back, find the Count and chunk that beast a good'un," said O'Chunks. "You can stay 'ere, or stay close teh me, eh? That sound good?"

"Thank you, O'Chunks," said Nastasia. "Yeah, so us splitting up now would be a bad management decision." She wrapped both her arms around his huge left arm. "I'll just stay close to you, K? Yeah."

"Uhhhh, yyyeah."

* * *

Count Bleck ran with Tippi until they hit the gate, and then he screeched to a stop. He hadn't warped because he didn't want to go far away. He wanted to stay here, near the steeple, and not miss a thing if he could help it. And it seemed that once he got outside, the monster wasn't an immediate threat- that is, it was inside and it wasn't chasing them. And at last they were away from that smell, for the time being.

"Great," said Count Bleck flatly. "We're split up and my peach-brained minions can't remember the Doppleganger Code."

"It was 'kvetching,' wasn't it?" Tippi said teasingly.

"You know very well what it was." Count Bleck shifted his shoulders and thought. "Well, we've seen it, and it's big. I suppose that once we collect ourselves, we can overpower it if it comes to that. We'll be expecting it to pop out of nowhere, so this embarassment won't happen again... I sincerely hope."

Dimentio suddenly appeared behind Count Bleck's head.

"Good evening, Count," he said lightly. "I was just out for an evening stroll and--"

"Dimentio," Count Bleck interrupted.

"--and I saw this lovely _etching _in the back of the steeple," he finished. "It reminded me, we really should get down to business." he held his hands out with one of his energy spheres. "Shall we get to it?"

"I don't want to just pummel it into submission," said Count Bleck. "Making the world a better place is more than punching the evil out of it- we need to know why it was there. We can get rid of the evil while keeping the good parts. At the very least, the 'why' will make a wonderful entry to the Beige Prognosticus. I'd like to find out why it's doing this, if you please."

Dimentio pouted, but dissipated the energy. "Who do you suppose is best suited to talk to it?"

"Timpani," said Count Bleck. "That is, if she's up to it."

"I'm game," she said.

"Why not me?" asked Dimentio.

"Because you're a textbook sociopath."

"I assure you, my Count," he replied, "There is nothing 'textbook' about me."

With that, he disappeared.

"He should know better than to do that when there's a doppleganger around," said Count Bleck.

"At least he remembered the code word," said Tippi.

* * *

Dimentio found Mimi lurking around in the underground hallways of Creepy Steeple. In her retreat, she must have fallen down the hole beside the statue at the front of the room. She was looking around, not interested but not bored, when he came up behind her. He grimaced momentarily- the smell was stronger down here.

"Good day," said Dimentio.

"Get out of here, freak," she snapped.

"My, my," he said, shaking his head. "Such a temper on you. If you don't get it under control, you'll never be able to attract one of those attractive young males you're always chasing after."

He raised an eyebrow. Mimi glanced over her shoulder and said, offhandedly, "Etching."

"Etching, indeed," replied Dimentio. "I was just on my way through and was thinking, perhaps Mimi would like to get in on this? Being a shapeshifter and all."

Mimi looked up, suddenly interested. "Why, what did you have in mind?"

"The monster doesn't know you're a Mimic, does he?" he asked.

"No. I can truthfully say, the monster had no idea."

"Wonderful." Dimentio clapped his hands once. "Very well, then. Count Bleck wants to use his words to solve his problem. A true pity, I know, and a waste of precious, precious time. I have a much faster idea, involving one of my patent-pending Dimentio Super-Blasts!" And again he produced a ball of energy. "The Count wouldn't even have to know," he continued. "As long as you keep him busy with your shape-changing tricks. I know you and you can't turn down a game." Dimentio turned around and floated over to the far wall, where a few moldy pictures hung. He pretended to be fascinated with them.

"What do you think?" he asked after a pause. He knew Mimi- she wouldn't want to do it, but she wouldn't say no to him. She was more afraid of what he would do than what the Count would do after. And she absolutely loved shape-shifting anyway.

But that didn't happen. Instead of her coming up behind him and agreeing like he expected, he suddenly felt himself get hit full-force with a blunt object. He crumpld to the floor before he even realized what happened. Mimi stood over him holding a piece of a beam broken off the building years ago.

"You aren't blasting anybody," she hissed. "He wants to talk? Oh, he'll get a talk."


	3. 7 dash 3

_If you haven't already, double-check 7-2 for The Great Allie's Great Oopsie_

* * *

EPISODE 7-3

Mr. L, meanwhile, was mad.

Angry, that is, although I wouldn't be suprised to hear he was starting to loose it as well. His heart wasn't really in this mission, driving a monster who they suspected to be Dooplis out of the steeple. Something his brother already did.

He had bolted, too, to the back narthex of the steeple. It was still musty and old here, but as soon as he entered the room, the threat of the monster disappeared. He was all set and ready to go out and fight again, but he suddenly felt a little lackluster. He didn't really want to go out and join his friends and fight. And it wasn't just because he forgot the Doppleganger Code again.

It wasn't fair! They used to be partners in everything, him and Mario. Now he was lucky if they could be seen together and have anybody remember his name, or even notice him without his smacking them upside the head. That's why he'd agreed to come back as Mr. L in the first place! Here, he was the Green Thunder, he wasn't in anyone's shadow. He was an equal part of the group! Then, all of a sudden, here he was, doing a job that they'd asked Mario to do, that he'd already done. Even if he succeeded, if anyone remembered it they would remember that Mario did it first, and probably better.

"Penny for your thoughts, Slick," said a voice from behind him.

Mr. L whirled around and saw a Duplighost with a blue bow and a matching party hat with orange stars. Doopliss, he presumed.

"You the one haunting this place?" he asked.

Doopliss shrugged. "I live here," he said. "Between tours, you know. I'm an actor now."

"Good for you."

"Yeah, I just finished touring with a production of 'My Fair Goomba.' Now that the secret of my name is out, I kinda like seeing it up there in lights, you know?" He laughed. "And the cast parties are pretty awesome, too."

"You don't want them to fix it up?" asked Mr. L, turning the subject back to business. "Creepy Steeple, that is?"

"Naw, it's not that," Doopliss explained. "I don't mind the heat and the snazzy electric lights. I can plug in my TV now instead of trapsing all over creation looking for batteries. It's those whiny emo townsfolk I don't like coming here all the time. Not to mention the new smell. So I've been making my own fun by playing a few pranks."

"Pranks?" Mr. L said with a hint of disgust. "You think what you've been doing are 'pranks'? That's horrible!"

"To each his own," said Dooplis with a shrug. "You have your sense of humor, I have mine, and I'll thank you to keep your nose outta my business. Know what I'm saying, Slick? Those whiny emos deserve everything I give 'em." He looked Mr. L up and down. "Come to think of it, you look a little emo yourself."

"I'm not angsting," said Mr. L. "I'm legitimately frustrated. Note the difference, Slick."

Doopliss gave a half-grin. "Whatever you say."

"Come on," said Mr. L. "If you don't mind, my boss would probably like to talk to you."

"No way," said Doopliss indignantly. "Talking is boring. Pranking is awesome."

Mr. L shrugged. "Whatever," he said.

"Aw, you're no fun," Doopliss whined. "I'm trying to start an argument for my own amusement."

"I don't feel like arguing," replied Mr. L.

"Fine, then, I'll talk to your stupid boss." Doopliss crossed his arms and grumbled, "_Stupid, not letting me have any fun, it's stupid when you act so stupid..."_ as they walked out of the room.

* * *

Dimentio groaned and lifted his head. He hadn't been knocked out, although he sincerely wished he had. He most certainly had a concussion. His head was throbbing, and he felt dizzy and nauseous. Slowly, he checked his eyes and his reflexes. No imparement. Maybe he wasn't too concussed after all, although the nausea was starting to get to him.

Mimi passed the Doppleganger Test, he realized. Did that mean Mimi was working for anohter side? He didn't think she had it in her. More likely, the monster was more clever than he had given it credit for. Mimi certainly wasn't, that was for sure.

Dimentio pulled himself into a standing position. "Ah ha ha ha ha," he laughed weakly. "So the monster doesn't want me to beat it up... it has no idea who it's dealing with. I'll take care of it... with magic!"

* * *

Count Bleck, Tippi, and Mimi were standing back inside Creepy Steeple. Mimi had entered the room about the same time they did and they fell in step with each other- after passing the Doppleganger Test, of course. Then Mr. L brought them Doopliss. After a brief introduction, they got right down to business.

Doopliss didn't seem too against talking- he certainly wasn't trying to keep his presence a secret, and inside he sincerely hoped that Count Bleck could fix everything for him. The Count's reputation preceeded him, and if he really did fix things for people, Doopliss figured he could get those villagers out of his steeple.

"So," said Count Bleck, "Why are you doing these things? Care to share?"

"Getting rid of the townsfolk," replied Doopliss. "I sure ain't throwing a party here."

"I figured that," said Count Bleck. "Could you get a little more specific?"

"It was bad enough when they were in the village, wallowing in misery and driving me crazy. Now they want to do it here, that's too much."

"I see," said Count Bleck. "So your first instinct was to--"

"Prank 'em outta my sight," said Doopliss with a shrug. "It's what I do."

"Could you get more specific?"

"How much more specific do you want?"

Just then, the side door opened and O'Chunks entered with Nastasia. She wasn't clinging onto his arm anymore, but she was walking in stride next to him.

"Ah, O'Chunks, good to see you," said Count Bleck.

At the same time, everyone present except Doopliss said, "Etching."

"Good," said Count Bleck.

"So, what are yeh doin' 'ere, Count?" asked O'Chunks.

"Talking with a brick wall, it seems," replied Count Bleck.

"Wan't me teh 'persuade' 'im teh talk, then?"

"No, no, it's not like that," said Count Bleck. "Let Count Bleck handle this. I hear he's very good with this situation." He turned back to Doopliss.

"Hi," said Doopliss.

"Yes, I see you. Would you be so kind as to tell me what you did with the missing villagers?"

"What?" Doopliss looked suprised.

"The villagers that went missing while working on Creepy Steeple. What did you do with them?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes yeh do, yeh dirty rotton punk!" O'Chunks picked up Doopliss by the collar and shook a chunky fist in his face. "Now yer gonna answer me Count real quick-like or I'll take yeh'r sheet and tear it into handkerchiefs! An' then I'll blow me nose on 'em!"

"Help!" Doopliss cried out. "I'm being attacked by some sort of caveman!"

"O'Chunks, put him down, commanded Count Bleck."

O'Chunks paused, then put Doopliss down on the ground. Doopliss immediately took on the shape of O'Chunks.

"Ooh, look at me, I'm a big strong thug who solves his problems with his big meaty fists!" He poofed back into Doopliss. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"Knock it off, sheet-freak," Mimi snapped. "Golly, you're more annoying than a Bob-omb with the hiccups."

"Back on topic!" Count Bleck spread out his cape with such a flourish that it silenced everybody else. "The missing, villagers, Doopliss?"

"No idea," replied Doopliss.

"Interesting, mused Count Bleck. If what you say is the truth, then we have another monster here."

"Yeah," said Doopliss. "Why would I steal them? What would I do with them? Put them in the closet?"

Then Dimentio appeared in their midst. He wasn't hanging up in the air like he usually was, rather, he was standing on the ground.

"And thus I arrive," he said weakly, "like a... run-down city bus pulling up to it's next stop."

"Good one," said Mr. L.

"Thank you." Dimentio bowed. "I have come-- etching, by the way-- to tell you that our dear Mimi is not who she claims."

"I said etching, what more do you want?" Mimi demanded.

"Much, much more," said Dimentio. "For you see, I was recently assulted in the basement while making a business proposition to our dear friend Mimi."

Count Bleck looked over at Mimi. "Mimi, is that true?"

"No," replied Mimi. "Dimentio probably wandered into a pitfall and banged his head."

"I most certainly did not!" Dimentio said angrily.

"What are you insinuating! Mimimimimimimimi!"

"See? Right there!" Dimentio threw his arms out. "You can't tell me that Mimi's vocabulary includes words like 'insinuating!' The girl can hardly spell 'lip gloss!'"

Count Bleck thought for a minute. "Mimi, dear, I forget. What was the name of your pet Chain Chomp?"

Mimi paused. "It was Chomper, wasn't it?"

"No."

"Chompy?"

"No."

"...Reginald?"

Count Bleck shook his head. "Mimi wouldn't forget. You've been a Doppleganger this whole time."

"Hey!" Doopliss said angrily. "You've been making me look bad in front of the emos! Now they think I'm a dirty kidnapper... like Bowser!"

Mimi blinked. Then she grinned maliciously, and turned into a Duplighost.

"Oh, you got me!" she said maliciously.

"Cousin Jen?" Doopliss reacted in suprise.

"Hi, Cousin Doopliss," she said. "Sorry I didn't say 'hi' when I got here, but it's your turn to hold the family reuinion this time, and there was no way we could go through with it if these guys stayed here. And you certainly weren't doing anything decent to get rid of them!"

Doopliss glowered. "Come on, Cousin Jen, haven't you been going too far? I mean, kidnapping? Dragons?"

"Maybe I'm just better at getting what I want," said Cousin Jen, a bit too evil for their taste. "I mean, were you going to do anything about that smell? It's making me sick!"

"And dizzy?" asked Dimentio, suddenly at attention.

"Yeah," said Cousin Jen.

Dimentio thought about that.

"Now, if you aren't going to let me finish my job, I'll just have to finish it myself!" She turned into a huge, bulky Clubba. "Ready to roll!"

Dimentio turned to look at O'Chunks. "O'Chunks, is the smell getting to you?"

"Aye," replied O'Chunks. "I feel like I swallowed a whole bowl o' Grobblu Stew." He took a fighting stance against Cousin Jen. "Now, get ready to feel some damage, yeh Mimi Doppleganger!"

"Bring it, punk!"

They began to fight, Cousin Jen with her Clubba's spiked club, and O'Chunks by stomping her and trying to grab her.

"Wait a second," said Dimentio suddenly.

O'Chunks grabbed Cousin Jen by the ankles.

"I know that smell..."

O'Chunks began to spin around with her.

"O'Chunks, don't throw her!"

But he alredy had. She flew through the air.

"The smell! It's--"

The Cluba hit the ground and skidded, her club scraping across the stone.

"Natural gas!"

Sparks flew from the club as it scraped.

BOOM!


	4. 7 dash 4

EPISODE 7-4

Count Bleck lay there, wondering what had happened. At first he thought that the whole world had blown up; and then he thought that perhaps only the Twilight Trail part of it had; and then he thought that perhaps only _he_ had, and he was now alone in the moon or somewhere, and would never see Timpani or Nastasia or his minions again.

And then the author realized that she wasn't A.A. Milne, and probably never would be; so Count Bleck decided to get up. A quick look around told him he had been sent all the way to Twilight Town. He felt himself all over to make sure nothing was soaked or out of place before getting up entirely.

A curious crowd had gathered around him, looking on, uncertain of what to do. Mayor Dour was standing at the front of it, a look of both concern and intrigue on his face.

"Steeple's gone," was all the Count said.

Mayor Dour nodded. "I can see that," he said. "Are you all right?"

"Looks like it," replied Count Bleck. He felt a little strange, but being exposed to a gas leak and then being hurled halfway across the territory would do that to you. He cleared his throat. "Seen anyone else?" Apparently complete sentences were not in his ability at the moment.

Mayor Dour nodded. "You left one of yours behind," he said. "She's been waiting for you."

Just then, Mimi bounded out of the Mayor's house and over to Count Bleck. She threw her arms around him in a greeting hug, which caused him to wince, and then bounced back two paces. "Hi, Count!" she chirped. "I got the frog out of my hair! He got his toes tangled up and you guys left without me. Good thing, too, huh? For me, I mean."

Good ol' clueless, insensitive Mimi.

Count Bleck nodded slowly. Then he turned to the Mayor and said, "I'm very sorry about Creepy Steeple, Mayor Dour."

The Mayor chuckled. "Well, Count, _that_ just saved me a difficult decision. My workers have been telling me it's in such bad shape we might have to tear most of it down anyway, and rebuild it. Such a shame, it's a historical place. But it's in such a state of disrepair, you know?"

Count Bleck nodded again. "Excuse me," he said faintly. "I need to go sit down. Mimi… see if you can find the others, would you dear?"

"Sure," said Mimi. "Are you okay?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "What do you think?"

* * *

When he was inside the Mayor's house, he sank into an armchair and let out a long, exasperated sigh. He wasn't just tired. He was completely sapped of all energy. He was too worn out to think or reason or figure out what to do next. It was all he could do to keep from falling asleep right there, but that just wouldn't do.

The residents of Twilight Town brought back everyone else who had been in the steeple. Nobody was seriously hurt (this is, after all a K+ fic- and a fantasy to boot). Within a short while, they were all gathered in the Mayor's house- Mimi, O'Chunks, Nastasia, Mr. L, Tippi, Dimentio, Doopliss, and Cousin Jen. And, of course, Mayor Dour. It was his house, after all.

"Okay," Cousin Jen said the first opportunity she got. "I just wanted to say I _totally_ didn't intend for that to happen."

"I would never 'ave done anythin' if I knew that'd happen!" O'Chunks voiced his protests over Cousin Jen's, in a fight to keep her from pinning any blame on him.

"It was an accident," said Count Bleck. "It was nobody's fault. O'Chunks could have _not_ thrown Cousin Jen, Cousin Jen could have _not_ turned into something that caused sparks, Dimentio could have _not_ figured it out a second too late… the workers could have _not_ left the gas leak there for us to find. We're just lucky that, with the roof mostly gone, we were in a well-ventilated area, and there should be no damage done in the long run."

He waited a moment to see if anybody had anything to say to that. Nobody did, so he cleared his throat and continued. A monumental task. "Which leaves us to continue to the most urgent part of this meeting. Cousin Jen, what happened to the missing residents of Twilight Town?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead she glanced nervously at Doopliss. Doopliss shrugged. She turned back to Count Bleck, gathered her strength, and said, "They're on a wild goose chase."

"Pardon?"

"I turned into the Mayor and told them that in order to fix the steeple, they needed to find a Great Boggly Wordswhatsit."

"And that is…?"

"The great mystery of their quest," finished Cousin Jen with a smug grin. "Don't worry. They're perfectly safe. Unless, of course, something horrible happened to them on their quest. Which, come to think of it, is pretty darn likely given the places they'd have to cut through to get to the Boggly Woods…"

Mayor Dour stood up. "I'm going to contact the Elder of the Great Boggly Tree and see if she can't head them off and send them back here. Thank you for telling us where they were, Cousin Jen."

"Great, now that this is cleared up, I'll just be on my way." She jumped up in the air and prepared to scurry out of the room.

Count Bleck grabbed her by the scruff of her sheet neck. "Not so fast," he said. "I think you would _much_ rather stay here and set things right… don't you agree?" He grinned at her, that horrible Jack-o-lantern grin that could give anybody the heebie jeebies.

"Come to think of it…" Cousin Jen said with a nervous chuckle, "I bet you guys will need an extra hand or two putting the steeple back together again, eh?"

"I bet our shapeshifting powers would come in real handy," said Doopliss. "And if we're going to rebuild it, we can rebuild it how _I_ want."

"Now, now, now," said Count Bleck. "It's the Twilight Town resident's steeple, too."

"Yeah, but it's _my_ home! Between touring, I mean. I'm about to go with a troop to perform 'Kiss Me, Koop.' I hear it's gonna be good."

"Doopliss," said Count Bleck slowly, "what we need here is a way to share the steeple so you're both satisfied, correct?"

"Yeah," said Doopliss.

"Well, then, how willing would you be to work together with the residents of the town in order to make sure that the new steeple fits _both_ your needs and desires?"

Doopliss made a face. "Not really very willing at all. Have you _met_ those guys? I can't stand to be around them for more than like five seconds."

Count Bleck gave him an exasperated look. Doopless read it, thought for a minute, and said, "Although, if Cousin Jen sticks around, it wouldn't be so bad I guess."

"That's the spirit," said Count Bleck. "I'm going to keep a close eye on you to make sure you're working well together."

"You're going to stay?"

"No, Nastasia is going to stay."

"I am?" This was news to her.

"For a short time," said Count Bleck. "If that's all right with you. I believe you would be very, very good at keeping tabs on them."

"If it be all right with you, Count," O'Chunks interrupted, "I think I'd like ta stay, too. I just feel awful about what 'appened to Creepy Steeple, and it's all me fault it happened."

"It's not," said Count Bleck. "Nobody's at fault."

"But it don't _feel_ like that. Let me do me Warrior's Honor right, Count. Let me stay an' help 'em fix it up."

Count Bleck smiled. "Well," he said, "Your great strength would certainly be an asset to the people of Twilight Town, and would speed up their job greatly. All right. You stay with Nastasia and fix the steeple."

"I assure you," Nastasia said to O'Chunks. "It will be business as usual." But there was a slight grin under her statement- hope after all.

* * *

The result was marvelous. Creepy Steeple was rebuilt, using the foundation already there from the previous time. They used the old historical records of it as a guide, so it would look almost exactly the same as before. O'Chunks was a great help in moving bricks and heavy things much faster than the townsfolk could do on their own. Doopliss was cheerful once they agreed to build his tower high enough so he wouldn't hear any of the townsfolk when they came to the Steeple. The missing workers came back, quite angry that they had been sent on a wild goose chase, but happy that they could get back to work.

A few weeks later, after the repairs were finished and everybody was home again, Count Bleck got a letter from the townsfolk on the Mailbox SP.

_Dear Count Bleck,_

_Thank you so much for helping us save Creepy Steeple. It's better than ever, now. Cousin Jen has gone back to wherever it is she came from, saying something about holding the family reunion somewhere else. Doopliss has not terrorized anybody who came to the Steeple so far, although a few people swear they can hear him laughing at them. It's just his way, I tell them._

_I'm going to tell everyone what a wonderful job you did. I'm sure that once word spreads, everybody is going to want to help you solve their own problems. Nastasia tells me that you want to make the world a better place. I wanted to make sure you knew that it's much, much better here in Twilight Town. Even better than the last time._

_Sincerely,_

_Mayor Dour and the Residents of Twilight Town_

Count Bleck didn't realize he was crying until a teardrop fell on the screen. He pulled a handkerchief out of his sleeve and wiped his eye. For good measure, he blew his nose, too. It was just so touching. His dream was slowly becoming reality.

"Something wrong, Count?"

He wasn't alone. Mr. L was in the room, too. Count Bleck hadn't realized that.

"Count Bleck just got a very touching letter from Twilight Town," explained Count Bleck. "They're very grateful to us."

"Oh, that's neat," said Mr. L. "Guess that makes you happy, too."

"Exceedingly," said Count Bleck. Then, on impulse, he added, "They say it's even better than last time."

"What?"

"Now, the state of their town is even better than last time they were saved from the monster in Creepy Steeple," explained Count Bleck.

"Oh, really," said Mr. L. He tied to sound nonchalant, but inside he was throwing a party. A party with fireworks, cheerleaders, rock music, and a fifty-foot cake. All for his pride.

Mario would be proud.

THE END


End file.
